


Through the Woods

by craterdweller



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 02:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5112530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>P2X-724 was supposedly uninhabited. That is until they stumbled on a temple ruin and discovered an old nemesis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Woods

SG-1 emerged from the gate on P2X-724 that was rather unusually located on the edge of a forest. Most times they found the gate to either be in a wide open space or at the outskirts of civilization.

“Trees,” Jack scowled.

Major Samantha Carter tried to hide her amusement at the Colonel’s antics but a small upturn of her lips gave her away.

Jack smiled. He had nothing against trees, and in fact his cabin in Minnesota was surrounded by them, but anything that could get a smile out of his favorite Major. He led his team cautiously down the wooded path. After a few klicks he held up his left fist signalling silence, for in front of them stretched a wooden bridge. When nothing stirred, he took out his monoscope for a closer look. The walkway was definitely not natural but there were no other signs of local inhabitants.

“Uh, Daniel. I thought you said this planet was uninhabited.”

“Well from what we could see in the photos taken by the UAV there didn’t appear to be any structures or signs of local inhabitants.”

“Perhaps the trees blocked this pathway from view, O’Neill.”

“Yes. Well stay sharp everyone. Carter, are you getting anything?”

She studied the readings on her scanner. “No, sir. Just us.”

“Where are the birds and insects? Anyone else getting a creepy vibe?”

Teal’c knelt down and examined the ground closely. “I can find no evidence of animal or insect life. However, I do not sense anything of a threatening nature.”

“Yes, well. Let’s see where those stairs lead. Daniel, you’re with me. Carter, you and Teal’c take some soil samples. Checkin every ten minutes.”

Jack and Daniel climbed the stairs and found another wooden path which led deeper into the forest. They followed the path until they reached a fork.

“Which way, Daniel?”

Daniel peered at their surroundings. They had found no signs or pillars or any sort of markings one would usually expect to find on a road. He shrugged and deferred to Jack, whose instincts were uncanny.

“Alright, let’s take the right fork.” He clicked on his radio. “Carter, Teal’c. We’ve reached a fork in the path. We’re going to follow the right fork. When you’re done with your samples. Check the left. O’Neill out.”

Just as the day turned into dusk, they spotted the stone temple. The hairs on the back of Jack’s neck rose and he reached out to grab ahold of Daniel before he went charging off to investigate. “Danny, let’s wait for Carter and Teal’c. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Daniel scowled but obeyed. He was dying to see the temple, especially since they were rapidly losing daylight, but he was thankful that Jack wasn’t suggesting they wait until tomorrow.  Daniel’s patience was shot by the time Sam and Teal’c joined them and before Jack or anyone could stop him, he raced towards the temple promptly falling through a trap door in front of the entrance.

“Daniel!”

“Damn it! Can you see him, Teal’c?”

Teal’c, who had cautiously made his way to the edge, peered down into the darkness, “Daniel Jackson, are you injured?” When there was no reply, he shined a flashlight into the pit. “O’Neill, he has fallen into a pit approximately ten meters deep and is unable to respond. I can see no stairs or ladders to reach him.”

“Alright, I’ll climb down to him.”

“Sir, I think I should be the one to go. I have the most medical training.”

Jack considered her point. “We’ll both go, Major.” When she started to object he explained, “We may have to lift him or carry him out and we don’t know what’s down there. I can stand watch while you tend to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

He could tell by her tone that she wasn’t pleased, but he still had a bad feeling. If Teal’c weren’t needed to pull Daniel up, he would have preferred they all go. They were at the bottom in moments. Jack surveyed the area with his flashlight and shuddered. Daniel was lying amongst a bunch of bloody remains. None appeared too fresh, but one could never be certain on an alien world as there were just too many unknown factors.

“Daniel, you okay?” Carter asked as she checked his neck and back.

He groaned and tried to sit up. “Sam? What happened?”

“You fell into a pit because you went charging in without waiting for us to determine if it was safe. Again. I swear Daniel, one of these times …” Jack trailed off when he heard the scraping sound of heavy stone sliding across the floor  as if a door had opened. Soon followed by the unmistakable sound of heavy boots stomping across the floor.

“Well, well. SG-1. Imagine finding you here.”

“Ba’al,” Carter sighed.

“Major Carter, as lovely as ever. Won’t you all join me?”

Jack grunted as Ba’al’s jaffa jabbed him in the back as they were herded into the secret passage. There had been no mention of Teal’c, so Jack could only hope that he was on his way back to the SGC to get reinforcements. In the meantime, they were the ‘guests’ of a System Lord that harbored no great love for Jack.

The jaffa locked the three of them into a single cell. At least it didn’t have that gravity device. Nevertheless, there appeared to be no easy way to escape. Jack stopped pacing long enough to ask Carter about Daniel.

“He has a mild concussion, so we need to wake him up every hour. A few scrapes and bruises, but nothing a few days rest won’t cure. Are you okay, sir?”

He shot her a warning look. “Peachy Carter. Just peachy.  I wonder what’s keeping ol Bocce anyway.”

Sam rolled her eyes at his deflection but let it go. Besides, Ba’al might have the cell bugged and the last thing they needed was to show even the slightest weakness. She mentally kicked herself and touched Jack’s arm.  She hoped he could read the apology in her eyes. He flashed her a small smile and resumed his pacing. Just when they thought they would be spending the night in yet another jail cell they heard multiple staff weapon bursts. Teal’c appeared with keys and released them.

“Teal’c, buddy. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but where are the calvary?””

“I was halfway to the stargate when I observed an Alkesh leaving the planet. I figured the best odds for a rescue where when Ba’al was elsewhere. We should hurry. I know not when he returns.”  He scooped up Daniel into a fireman’s carry and directed O’Neill out of the secret lab.

“C’mon Carter. No time for studying doohickeys.”

“I know, sir. But this looks similar to the cloning device Loki used.”

“What would Ba’al want with a cloning facility?”

“He is a goa’uld. He would want to clone himself, of course.”

Jack picked up a discarded staff weapon and destroyed the equipment. “Okay folks. That’s likely to attract some unwanted attention. Let’s get Danny back to the SGC and debrief Hammond. I have a feeling that unless there was something valuable in Carter’s soil samples that the gate address for this planet will be erased from the computer.”

“Indeed.”

“Daniel’s going to be furious when he wakes up. He really wanted to study those ruins,” Carter added.

“Hell, Carter. For all we know, Ba’al manufactured the ruins to distract anyone that stumbled upon them from what’s located beneath it.” They had reached the gate without  encountering more jaffa. “Dial it up, Carter. Let’s give Doc Frasier a patient to poke and prod.”

“Yes, sir.”  They shared a look and stepped through the gate together, thankful to having escaped with the team relatively undamaged.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a livejournal challenge with this picture (http://i.imgur.com/DJQpvbx.jpg) as a prompt.
> 
> Also fill the genprompt bingo prompt for Dusk.


End file.
